But counties with relatively small employment figures will see rapid job growth: Brazoria County, which currently sees about 3 percent of the region's new job growth, will jump to 6 percent, according to Smith's latest estimate. Chambers County will jump from half a percent to 3 percent, Galveston County from 3 percent to 5 percent, Waller County from 1 percent to 3.4 percent, and Liberty County from 1 percent to 4.4 percent. “These are relatively small numbers, but it represents a fairly significant change in the overall environment,” Smith said.

That overall environment is marked by decentralization, powered by employers who are finding that property values can be lower outside the Loop, while population rates are climbing and infrastructure is improving.

Decline in Harris County

In the past three decades, Harris County has seen a steady decline in its ability to capture employment growth.

“In the 1980s, Harris County captured 79 percent of all employment growth in the eight-county area,” Smith said. “During the last five years, from '05 to '10, Harris County captured 53 percent. By 2035, Harris County will capture only about 37 percent.”

That doesn't mean the Inner Loop would be a ghost town. It would still house the bulk of existing jobs. But the new shoots of job creation would flourish in the suburbs.

Since Harris County “is starting with 85 percent of all employment in the metro area, that total will drop to about 67 percent,” he said. “But it's a pattern that's been going on since the '70s, and it's gradually accelerating. Not only are people moving to the suburbs, but so are jobs.”

Since Harris County “is starting with 85 percent of all employment in the metro area, that total will drop to about 67 percent,” he said. “But it's a pattern that's been going on since the '70s, and it's gradually accelerating. Not only are people moving to the suburbs, but so are jobs.”

Energy Corridor

In the fast-growing Energy Corridor, a Houston suburban area mostly in western Harris County along Interstate 10, population will grow by 29 percent through 2025, office space will increase 36 percent and retail space will grow by 40 percent, according to estimates in an economic growth study.

“Ten or 15 years from now, the Energy Corridor is literally going to be the geographic center of the Houston region,” said David Hightower, executive vice president of the real estate group Wolff Companies and president of the board of directors for the Energy Corridor Management District. “If you look at the long-term growth projections, a significant part of the projected growth will be northwest, west and southwest of Houston. What is central to that? The Energy Corridor.”

Looking good in Fort Bend

In Fort Bend County, the recession barely slowed construction on homes in the suburban area's sprawling planned communities.

Riverstone, a master-planned community in Sugar Land, this year had some of its best sales months , Garvin said, despite the struggling overall housing market.

Sugar Land scored a coup in 2008 when it enticed Minute Maid to relocate from downtown Houston, wooed by economic incentives that included a direct cash incentive of $240,000 per year for 10 years from the Sugar Land Development Corp.

Fort Bend's economy has also seen a boost in the medical sector since Memorial Hermann built a hospital in Missouri City and St. Luke's built one in Sugar Land. Those medical anchors drew more doctors' offices, Garvin said, which spurred development in general.

“We've attracted a professional, more highly educated population here, and their being here is going to attract others,” he said. “We've had so much growth, and everything's new and shiny.”